Throughout history, figures of authority have been putting laws and policies into effect that are not always favored by the public. This issue has been dealt with in a number of different ways, ranging from peaceful protests to violent revolts and coups. Of these forms of protest, Civil Disobedience is one that is widely known and used, and is successful more often than it is not. “Civil Disobedience is the act of disobeying a law on grounds of moral or political principle. It is an attempt to influence society to accept a dissenting point of view.”[1] It may take the form of picketing, speeches, street demonstrations, and sit-ins. In some cases, this form of protest mat be illegal, however it is never violent. Rosa Parks civilly disobeyed in 1955 when she refused to give up her bus seat to a white male. This incident brought a lot of attention to the equal rights movement for African-Americans and her case was even heard in the Supreme Court. Fourteen American Indian college students used this technique to demand Alcatraz to be returned to their people, as it was once American Indian land.[2] Also, in the 1970’s Harvey Milk utilized civil disobedience in order to raise awareness of the importance of equal rights for the LGBT population.[3] While all forms of protest have been proven to work in one instance or another, the individuals mentioned above have shown that civil disobedience is a very effective approach to changing public policy.
[1] Starr, Kayla. “The Role of Civil Disobedience in Democracy”. Summer ’98 issue. 04/10/14. http://www.civilliberties.org/sum98role.html
[2]Schenck, Sarah. “Native American Occupation of Alcatraz.” 04/10/14. http://www.edb.utexas.edu/faculty/salinas/students/student_sites/Fall2005/Reclaiming_Native_Land/
[3] Randy Shilts, The Mayor of Castro Street: The Life and Times of Harvey Milk. New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press, 1982
[1] Starr, Kayla. “The Role of Civil Disobedience in Democracy”. Summer ’98 issue. 04/10/14. http://www.civilliberties.org/sum98role.html
[2]Schenck, Sarah. “Native American Occupation of Alcatraz.” 04/10/14. http://www.edb.utexas.edu/faculty/salinas/students/student_sites/Fall2005/Reclaiming_Native_Land/
[3] Randy Shilts, The Mayor of Castro Street: The Life and Times of Harvey Milk. New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press, 1982